: Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 farmer unions formed in 2020 to lead the agitation against the now repealed three contentious farm laws, on Saturday decided to hold a kisan mahapanchayat at Jind on January 26, besides organising district and block level protests in different parts of the country to press the Union government for the pending of the farmers, including fixing the guaranteed minimum support prices.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the SKM leaders held here and lakhs of farmers were expected from northern states of Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan to reach Jind to attend the mahapanchayat, claimed SKM leader from Uttar Pradesh Rakesh Tikait.
The protests will be organised to showcase the unity of farmers and strength of the SKM, the farmer leaders who assembled from different parts of the country said after their meeting to discuss the pending issues, including guaranteed minimum support price, Lakhimpur Kheri violence and withdrawal of pending cases registered against farmers during the last years’ agitation.
“For the farmers of the country, January 26 is an important day as the government had tried to suppress this agitation last year, now we will organise a national level kisan machapanchayat at Haryana’s Jind,” said Tikait while addressing media persons after the meeting at gurdwara Dera Kar Seva.
He said that the farmers will also organise district and block level protests and tractor-march in the country and memorandums will be submitted to deputy commissioners at all the district headquarters to make the government aware about the unfulfilled promises it made to the farmers when the agitation ended on the assurance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
{{/usCountry}}He said that the farmers will also organise district and block level protests and tractor-march in the country and memorandums will be submitted to deputy commissioners at all the district headquarters to make the government aware about the unfulfilled promises it made to the farmers when the agitation ended on the assurance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
{{/usCountry}}He said that the decision about Delhi’s kisan mahapanchayat will be taken after the jind mahapanchayat.
Tikait has accused the government of conducting raids and harassing artists and singers who had supported the farmers’ agitation. He alleged that the government did not withdraw pending cases registered against farmers during the agitation.
Another farmer leader from Punjab Joginder Singh Ugrahan said that the farmers will not allow the government to involve corporate houses in procurement of foodgrains and they will continue the protests until all the demands were accepted.
He said that issues like a law on MSP, cancellation of FIRs and justice to Lakhimpur Kheri victims, farmers pension after 60 years, and power bill 2020 were also discussed in the meeting.